A
Strong Anchor II
Lamentations
3:22-23, It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, Because
his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy
faithfulness.
Theme: God’s loving mercies
never run out, and He offers us a fresh start and renewed strength daily.
Relevance: A ‘leaving of the
old situations behind’ is reason to hope again, even in the middle of our
seriously painful experiences God’s compassions reach out to us still (Lam. 3:21–23).
We all have been tempted to ‘bottle up’ our experiences… ‘bottle up’ our emotions…suppress
or hide our true feelings instead of expressing or processing them with God’s
eternal truth.
Introduction:
Continuing this thought we must now consider the key concept in these verses and then their implications in everyday experiences. Let's begin with our basis outlook and posture.
Lesson:
Approach Life with This
Conviction—that God is GOOD!
Beloved, this idea will demand
your faith like nothing else will. Many people have walked away from ‘Christianity’
because they failed to value the truth that God is good! Use your faith
to believe this communication from the Holy Spirit through the Word. We can start
each morning with gratitude, leaving yesterday’s failures behind, and trusting
God’s steady compassion during hard times.
1.
Start renewed each morning: Thank God every day for a clean
slate. Do not let past mistakes or yesterday’s heavy stress ruin today. God’s
mercy resets with every sunrise (Rom. 12:1-2).
- Release guilt and shame: Remember that
God’s great love stops you from being overwhelmed by your flaws. When you
feel unworthy, after your confession, accept His forgiveness instead of
punishing yourself (1 Jn. 1:5-8).
- Be honest in tough times: Allow yourself
to feel grief or pain, just as the prophet Jeremiah did in Lamentations.
Bring your honest struggles and broken heart to God in prayer rather than
hiding them, pretending it does not matter, or burying them under business
and distractions.
- Show mercy to others: Pass on the
same love, compassion, patience, and kindness you receive from the Lord.
Forgive people who wrong you, treating them better than they deserve
because God does the same for you and me (Eph.
4:30-32).
- Build sturdy trust: Rely on God’s
unchanging character when life feels unpredictable (2 Pet.1:19-21). Anchor your hope and confidence
in His faithfulness rather than in changing human circumstances.
Everything in us and
everything around us will scream that God is NOT good. He permits suffering and
pain…He allows wars, earthquakes, diseases, murder, death, sorrow, pain, devastation,
and suffering! Why doesn’t He prevent this if He really is all powerful and good?
Again, you must use your faith with great tenacity! People commonly place their
own views ahead of God’s revelation to their own detriment. You must believe God
instead of yourself or what you feel! Give yourself permission to trust what
the Holy Spirit is saying from the Bible…God is Good!!! The awful circumstances
of people reveal just how good God really is while forcing us to realize just
how awful our sinfulness is.
Incorporate this Truth into
Your Prayers!
Prayer points based on
Lamentations 3:22–23 focus on God's unfailing mercy, daily renewal, and
steadfast love in times of trouble.
1.
Be Grateful for His Preservation
- Thank God that His steadfast love keeps you
from being completely overwhelmed or consumed by your current trials.
- Declare that His grace sustains your life
despite past mistakes or heavy burdens.
- Ask God to wash away yesterday's guilt,
failures, and anxieties with His brand-new morning mercies. Make the
choice to confess and forsake any known sin.
- Pray for the mental and emotional capacity
to let go of past regrets and embrace a clean slate today.
- Pray against feelings of abandonment,
reminding yourself that God's compassion does not run out or end.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort your heart
when facing uncertain circumstances or deep pain.
- Praise God for His unchanging character,
noting that His faithfulness does not depend on your own strength.
- Communicate stability and peace to your family,
work, and future, anchored in His reliable promises.
Conclusion:
The prophet, pondering his bitter afflictions, realizes how they have humbled his soul. He knows that God remembers the humble and afflicted, and so he expresses hope. Verses 22-39 speak of the poet’s reassurance in Jehovah’s goodness and his resignation to His sovereign ways. 22-24. His compassions fail not. The loving-kindness (ḥesed, “steadfast love”) of Jehovah is unfailing. It is daily renewed (like the manna of old); hence his people are not consumed, and a remnant remains as a seed for a new beginning. Great is thy faithfulness (v. 23). “Jehovah is my dearest treasure,” declares my soul, “therefore I do hope in him” (v. 24).[1]
We have an Anchor
that keeps the soul focused and productive! God’s steadfast love and mercy
(His goodness) are everlasting, thus providing us fresh hope and a clean slate
every single morning even during occasions when we deserve the worse…when we are
getting what we have really earned. While facing the devastation of divine
chastening, and in times of deep misery, God’s faithfulness remains as our undiminishing
hope. This ‘anchor’ guarantees heavenly support in Christ to cope with the
burdens we observe and feel so deeply.
Will your anchor hold in
the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?
We have an anchor that
keeps the soul
Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.
--Priscilla Jane Owens (1829-1907)
and William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921)
In the final analysis we
must remember or reflect on the idea that God is good.
·
Psalm 100:5, For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
·
Psalm 106:1, Praise ye the Lord. O give
thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
·
Psalm 145:9, The Lord is good to all:
and his tender mercies are over all his works.
·
Nahum 1:7, The Lord is good, a
strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
·
Psalm 34:8, O taste and see that the
Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
This is your personal invitation
to experience God directly! Encounter His life-giving ‘goodness’ by actively
trusting this reality claim when life hurts the most rather than pridefully/blindly
pushing through on your own power or merely mentally consenting to its accuracy.
[1]
Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible
Commentary: Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), La 3:19.
No comments:
Post a Comment